A movie screening and display wall, pathways, pergolas, shade trees, concrete and wooden benches, and sculptural bicycle racks are among the initiatives proposed in a draft masterplan for the Kent Street green space and former Maryborough Baby Clinic.

At its meeting today, Fraser Coast Regional Council endorsed the draft masterplan to go out for community engagement, with a further report to come back to Council following that process.

Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour said the two parcels of land were strategically located in the Maryborough CBD opposite City Hall and close to the Adelaide Street markets, Queens Park and a range of historic buildings.

“The former Maryborough Baby Clinic is a historically significant building and both this building and the undeveloped land beside it provide a fantastic opportunity to create a vibrant community space,” he said.

“The draft master plan has been developed based on community feedback received so far and is intended to guide the future design and development of the old Maryborough administration building site that is now green space.

“The overarching vision is to create an integrated civic precinct that respects the historical significance of the site while also providing an inviting, connected, functional and flexible community space.”

Cr Daniel Sanderson said a formal community consultation process on the draft plan would start in the coming weeks, and he encouraged everyone interested in the space to have their say.

“There are a range of interesting ideas put forward in the draft master plan including using the exposed brick wall on the School of Arts building as a movie screening wall or large projection surface,” he said.

“Custom-designed pergolas are proposed over sections of a walkway to provide protection from the weather, and this would be supplemented with the planting of native vines and shade trees such as Maryborough’s iconic tree – the scarlet bottlebrush.

“There are also proposals for art and sculpture within the site to reflect the history and importance of the space and surrounding buildings.

“Recognition of the former baby clinic could displayed through a statue of a nurse, mother and baby while sculptural bicycle racks could also be included.

“Council is keen to create connected, inclusive communities and spaces and that’s what this draft masterplan seeks to achieve.”

Cr Paul Truscott said expressions of interest would formally be sought for the lease of the former Baby Clinic site.

“The Maryborough Arts Society has already shown some interest in using the site as an exhibition space and there will soon be a formal process to lease the site,” he said.

“Council thanks everyone who has provided feedback and input to allow the draft masterplan to be prepared.

“There has been a lot of work carried out in recent years to revitalise the Maryborough CBD and this new masterplan provides an opportunity to build on that good work to ensure the area is an active and attractive area.

“We look forward to a further report coming to Council following the EOI process for the former Baby Clinic site and the formal community engagement on the draft masterplan.”

The Mayor and Councillors thanked everyone who had provided feedback and input to allow the draft masterplan to be prepared, particularly the Mary Inc. group, for their efforts to create discussion and generate ideas.

The green space was created after an independent engineering report found that the former Fraser Coast Regional Council building at 431 Kent Street had reached the end of its working life and had to be demolished.

The former Maryborough Baby Clinic was built in 1924 and continued to serve the community until its closure in the 1990s. It was bought by Council in 2020 and listed on the Queensland State Heritage Register that year.

It is currently vacant with an estimated $500,000 in interior remediation work required to make the building suitable for public activation.

A copy of the draft master plan is available on Council’s website at

https://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/publications

Article and photos submitted by Fraser Coast Regional Council